When Things Take A Turn To The Worst
by cracker13
Summary: After the Future Max and Kyle incident, things take a turn to the worst. Max's reaction wasn't what anyone expected. One thing leads to another, everyone has to team up and save both Max and Liz from total destruction, in different ways.
1. When Things Take A Turn To The Worst

Chapter I: When Things Take A Turn To The Worst  
  
The rain was pouring heavily and the rumbling of thunder was so loud that it could turn a person deaf.  
  
Liz was on her bed writing in her journal to the sounds of "I Shall Believe" by Sheryl Crow. The song was on repeat. "Why did it have hurt so much?" Liz thought to herself. "Why did it have to be me? Why did he have to come to me? Why did he make me do it?" Liz looked up from her journal and at the picture of Max and herself on the bedside table. She slammed it face down before the tears fell from her eyes. "I had to do it. It was for the good of the world." Liz reminded herself.  
  
Lightning struck outside her window, sending a flash of bright light into the room and casting a shadow on the floor near the window. Seeing the shadow, Liz looked up towards the window remembering the time Future Max had come and quickly putting her journal away.  
  
Max was outside kneeling, looking at her. A mix of emotions was written on his face, anger, hurt, hate, confusion. He didn't wait for Liz to come and unlock the window; he did it himself. He climbed in just as Liz started to stand up.  
  
"Max, you shouldn't be here."  
  
He ignored her and took off his wet jacket and tossed it to the side. He looked up at her and studied her, walking towards her slowly.  
  
"Max, you're scaring me."  
  
Max swallowed slowly in preparation to what he was going to say in reply. He licked his lower lip and finally spoke.  
  
"How could you? How could you sleep with him? I keep telling myself that there was a reason you did it because Liz Parker was never a harlot. Or maybe I was wrong."  
  
"Max, I. That's not what happened."  
  
The harshness of his words caught her and left her hanging.  
  
"I thought I knew you. Did our love mean anything to you? No. That's not the question I should be asking. Did you ever even love me?"  
  
He advanced a couple of steps more. He was so close Liz could feel the heat of his breath.  
  
"Max, of course I did. I still do love you. You just don't understand."  
  
"I understand perfectly. This was just all about sex."  
  
He turned around and ran his fingers through his hair. Liz inched towards the door, but to no avail. Max turned around again and pressed her against the wall.  
  
"Now you're going to regret you ever invited him in."  
  
Liz flinched. Max reached over and locked the door.  
  
"Max, no. What are you doing? This isn't you."  
  
"The Max you knew died when you slept with Kyle."  
  
He leaned in and kissed her, but she attempted to pull away without success.  
  
"I'm sorry it had to turn out this way, but you left me no choice."  
  
He threw her to the bed and took off his shirt.  
  
"Max, why are you doing this?"  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"Max, please."  
  
He ignored her pleas, her cries, her whimpers of pain, but as soon as the dirty deed was complete, reality struck him sharply as quickly as glass shatters upon impact.  
  
"Oh my god. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."  
  
Liz didn't say anything in response. She just sobbed and turned over as Max quickly got off the bed.  
  
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."  
  
He picked up his things and quickly dressed himself. As soon as he finished he left through the window, mumbling his apologies over and over. 


	2. All Things Gone Bad

Chapter II: All Things Gone Wrong  
  
"What did I do?"  
  
The first thing Max did when he got home was take a shower. He tried to wash away the memories of the night but he couldn't. He sat on his bed clutching his knees to his chest, rocking back and forth.  
  
"What did I do? What did I do?" I'm bad."  
  
There was a knock on the door but Max didn't bother to open it or say anything. There was another knock on the door, but Max ignored it too. Isabel came in with a slightly worried look.  
  
"I was knocking, why didn't you answer?"  
  
Max didn't look up. He just kept rocking, pinching his hands and mumbling words that Isabel couldn't quite understand.  
  
"Are you okay?"  
  
"I. I hurt Liz."  
  
Isabel sat down on the bed beside him.  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
Max just buried his face in his hands and shook his head.  
  
"Max, talk to me. You'll feel better."  
  
She put his hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I."  
  
"What did you do Max?"  
  
"I. I. I don't know what to tell you."  
  
"Try the truth, Max. How can I help you if I don't know what to help you with me?"  
  
"I slept with her."  
  
Isabel raised her eyebrows. She didn't understand how he could hurt Liz doing that. Unless.  
  
"But she didn't want to."  
  
He said the last part unsurely.  
  
"Max, you didn't."  
  
Max grimaced. Isabel couldn't understand how. She was disgusted but she couldn't say much.  
  
"I couldn't control myself. I. I was driven by my emotions. But. on some level, I knew what I was doing."  
  
His voice cracked slightly. He didn't know why he did it. He did, but the reasons didn't justify what he did.  
  
"Max, I don't know what to say. What you did. You could get arrested for. Is Liz going to say anything?"  
  
"I dunno. I dunno."  
  
His voice started to crack even more as he started to sob and he went back to the rocking and blaming himself through mumbling.  
  
"It's okay, we'll figure something out. Don't worry." 


	3. Aftershock

Chapter III: Aftershock  
  
Liz couldn't sleep that night. She didn't really bother to get up. She just pulled the sheets tighter around her. She needed the comfort. It hurt. It hurt so much on the inside. When she finally got to sleep, she was relieved that when she woke up that she didn't remember any of her dreams, but last night still haunted her. If it wasn't for that Bio midterm, she'd have stayed home.  
  
Biology. Max. She'd have to sit next to him the whole time. That was going to be hard, but she would be able to do it. It didn't even matter anymore. Nothing did.  
  


* * *

  
Everything was going well so far. Liz had just gotten to her locker, where Maria was waiting for her. Maria of course, even after the Michael and Courtney incident, was acting all cheery. She was doing practically all the talking, the only problem was, Liz was hardly listening anyway.  
  
"Liz, is there something wrong?"  
  
"No Maria, I'm fine."  
  
Her voice was plain and dull, but what was there to be expected. Liz couldn't tell Maria what happened. She just couldn't. She couldn't do that to her. She had her own problems to deal with. All Liz wanted was to get through the day without breaking down.  
  
Maria knew there was something wrong and was about to come out and ask, but Michael came and interrupted her with a worried face.  
  
"Have you seen Isabel?"  
  
"How about a 'hi Maria, hi Liz'?"  
  
Maria was obviously still pissed about the Courtney thing.  
  
"Oh. Hi Maria. Hi Liz. How's everything? Have you seen Isabel?"  
  
Isabel told Michael everything and he knew that it would be best to go along with whatever Maria did. He wasn't in the mood for more trouble.  
  
"She's over there. Why? Has the alien invasion started?"  
  
Michael looked around and spotted Isabel at the drinking fountain. Without a word said, he jogged towards her, leaving Maria quite irked.  
  
"Michael, I thought I told you to watch Max and make sure he goes to class."  
  
"You have to come and see this. He's lost it."  
  
"Then why are you here?"  
  
"I couldn't control him so I came to get you. Kyle's watching him."  
  
"Okay, let's go."  
  
The two quickly jogged to Max's locker with Maria and Liz close behind them. Maria didn't know what was going on, but she wanted to find out; so she dragged Liz along with her.  
  
When they got there, they saw a group of people watching closely as Max was hitting his head against his locker. His things were scattered on the floor but he didn't seem to mind. He didn't seem to mind that dozens of his schoolmates were staring at him as he was having a complete schizophrenic freak-out. He slammed the locker door, but it hit his fingers. He slammed his back against the locker and slid down to the floor, burying his face in his hands and sobbing. Kyle had tried (to no avail) to calm him down, but now he was calmer at least. People were still staring and at this, Michael got into action.  
  
"Okay people, show's over! Go to your classes or something."  
  
Isabel's attention turned to Maria and Liz, then to Kyle. She walked towards Kyle.  
  
"Kyle, get Liz out of here."  
  
"Why?"   
"Just do it, I'll explain later."  
  
Kyle did as he was told, but when Maria asked him what was going on, he told her to ask Isabel. She wanted the truth and she wanted it now.  
  
"Isabel, what's going on?"  
  
Isabel ignored her at the moment.  
  
"Michael, make sure he gets to class."  
  
At this, Michael helped Max up and walked him down the corridor.  
  
"Isabel, why on earth did Max do this?"  
  
Isabel bent down and picked up the contents of Max's locker and put it back inside, finally realizing what had caused his breakdown. She pointed towards the picture of Max and Liz on his locker door.  
  
"That would be why."  
  
"Max went all psycho because he saw a picture of himself and Liz?"  
  
"Well, there's more to it than that. Look, when I tell you what's really going on, just try to stay calm and keep in mind that Max is emotionally unstable, okay."  
  
"Isabel, just tell me."  
  


* * *

  
For Liz, the biology test didn't seem like much of a challenge, after all, she didn't really get into what happened last night. But Max on the other hand was a different story, he seemed to be taking it worse than Liz.  
  
"Is this the same guy that... attacked me yesterday" Liz thought to herself, distracting herself from gneiss and phylum for a moment. She studied him for a quick second. His eyes were red, there were black circles under his eyes and he was pale. He looked almost exactly like Liz but about ten times worse and he didn't seem to be concentrating on the test laid in front of him. Yeah, he was answering it, but it was carelessly done.  
  
When she was done, Liz turned in her test and left for an early lunch with Max close behind her.  
  
"Um, Liz... about last night, I'm sorry, I really am. I... I didn't know what I was doing."  
  
At this Liz snapped.  
  
"Max, I'm really not in the mood to help you with your self pity and your self blame. I know you're sorry. You said it about a thousand times last night and this morning. I am having a horrible day and I do not want to say anything I'll regret later so I'm going to go.  
  
She didn't know why she was being so cold, but didn't she have a right to be? Part of it was so that she could control her emotions. She didn't want to break down and cry anymore, that's all she'd done in the past. She'd rather be angry.  
  
Tess was coming down the hall at the moment. She knew what was going on and when she saw Max and Liz, she knew it wasn't good. She may not have liked Liz at first, but no one deserved to be put in that position. She walked towards them cautiously, but as she neared, Liz had already ended the conversation. And as Liz passed, she said a something that no one ever thought would happen on normal standards.  
  
"He's all your Tess. You can have him."  
  
Tess was stunned. She had no idea what to do next. She stood there for a moment contemplating on what was said and realized that she'd rather not be with Max. Especially if Max was capable of doing what he did. And somehow, she knew that Liz only spoke out of anger and frustration, that maybe, in the long run, she didn't mean it.  
  


* * *

  
"Maria, I just want to eat alone today."  
  
Maria shot Liz a concerned look but gave her the space she wanted before sitting at the other table with Isabel, Michael and the rest.  
  
Liz sat down at an empty table about two tables away from Maria's. She knew that Maria knew, that everyone else knew. She knew that they knew that she knew. She started to pick at her macaroni, acknowledging the fact that they kept checking on her, looking on her. She thought about everything for a moment but was interrupted.  
  
"Can I sit here?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, yea, sure."  
  
"By the way, I'm Nicholas."  
  
"Liz, Liz Parker."  
  


* * *

  
"Hey, what's Liz doing all the way over there?"  
  
Alex had just taken a seat next to Isabel.  
  
"Hey Alex, I haven't seen you around lately."  
  
"Avoid the subject." Isabel thought to herself.  
  
"Well, I'm kind of busy preparing my trip to Sweden for the student exchange program."  
  
Alex glanced around at the table. Everyone was quite and Max looked as if the whole world had tumbled off of its axis and it was all his fault. He was pinching his hands and staring blankly ahead.  
  
"What's wrong with him?"  
  
Maria glanced nervously at Isabel whose facial expression grew deeper in seriousness, but Isabel just nodded in reply. She leaned in closer to Alex and whispered in his ear. His facial expression changed quickly from seriousness to anger. He was furious. He got up and spoke angrily.  
  
"Then why is it that he's over here and Liz is the one being isolated!"  
  
Max glanced at him but said nothing. Alex repeated the same thing he had said to Michael after the Courtney incident and he had caught Maria crying in the backroom. Well, part of it anyway.  
  
"Look. I don't care that you've got thirty pounds on me or… or that you can kill me with some… some twisted alien power. (This part he said slightly lower.) I will not let you treat her like that. I don't care that Isabel treats me like crap, (Isabel grimaces.) but you can't just do that to her. You, of all people!"  
  
Max looked away. He didn't know how to respond. It was after all, the truth, and it hurt. The truth hurt.  
  
"I would like you to look at me while I'm speaking with you."  
  
Max turned back to look at him. Guilt was written all over his face. The moment his eyes reached full contact to Alex's, Alex lunged forward and punched him square in the face, knocking him to the ground. Alex didn't wince this time he just kept hitting him in the gut. No one made a move.  
  
"Alex, stop it."  
  
He turned as did everyone else's head and saw Liz standing right behind him. She was studying him, him and Max. He quickly got up to his feet. Liz was still looking at Max who hadn't even bothered to look at her. He just couldn't. After a couple of minutes of silence, Liz finally spoke.  
  
"Max, you're bleeding."  
  
At this, she turned around and went back to her table as Michael got up and dragged Max to the bathrooms, swearing to himself, leaving the rest speechless in their seats and Alex returned to his seat next to Isabel.  



	4. People Aren't Who You Think They Are

Chapter IV: People Aren't Who You Think They Are  
  
"Liz you can't just avoid me. I mean seriously, I realize you need time but I need my best friend back. It's been weeks. Alex is just a drag to be with. Plus, he's a guy and all he keeps talking about is either Isabel or how much he's looking forward to going to Sweden."  
  
"Fine Maria. I'll do something with you at the Crashdown after school."  
  
It had been weeks and although she still needed time, Liz realized that she didn't want to lose her friends over this. She needed them.  
  
"Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! And I'll make sure that Max is nowhere in sight. It'll be just you, me and Alex watching a video in the backroom and feasting overly unhealthy food. Just pure human, no Czechoslovakians, fun."  
  
"Yeah, fun... I'd just like to point out that Max can go anywhere he wants."   
Maria quickly changed the subject.  
  
"Who have you been hanging out with anyway?"  
  
Maria knew that she was avoiding Max and most of the time everyone was with him, making sure he hadn't gone over the edge and actually attempted to commit suicide or something, which was highly unlikely (but no one knew him anymore), but she had always wondered what Liz had been doing in the past weeks. There's only so much time until you get tired of studying in the library or whatever else she was doing.   
  
"Oh, just this sophomore. I'm kind of helping him with his Biology."  
  
Maria pondered on this for a moment. Maybe there were other ulterior motives that Liz was hanging out with this guy.  
  
"And his name would be..."  
  
"Nicholas."  
  
"Right. So we'll see you later okay..."  
  
"I'll be kinda late, I've got a tutoring thing with Nicholas in the lab."  
  
"Yea sure. See ya later."  
  


* * *

  
"Maria, she's a half hour late."  
  
Alex was a bit worried. He knew Liz and she was always punctual. Something could be wrong, but that seemed unlikely.  
  
"She's tutoring some sophomore in Biology. She told me she was going to be kind of late. You don't have to call the cops."  
  
"Maria, I just have a feeling something bad's gonna happen to her."  
  
"Alex, something bad already happened to her."  
  
Alex just looked at her in a serious way in reply.  
  
"Okay, fine. If she isn't here in an hour or so, we'll call her on her cell phone."  
  
"Maybe she just told you that to get you off of her case."  
  
Maria and Alex turned around and saw Kyle in the doorway. He walked towards the couch where they were sitting.  
  
"Maria, he has a point."  
  
"She'll be here. Okay?"  
  


* * *

"Okay, so you get it now… right?"  
  
Liz had just finished explaining the lesson to Nicholas.  
  
"Yea, of course, but just to be sure, can we go over it one more time?"  
  
"Nicholas, I told you when we started that I had somewhere to go afterwards and I'm already late. We can do this again tomorrow."  
  
Nicholas nodded in reply.  
  
"I'll see tomorrow."  
  
At this, Liz put her things in her backpack and zipped it up.  
  
"Uh, Liz... thanks... for the tutoring sessions."  
  
As Nicholas spoke he walked closer to her.  
  
"I don't get why you have such a hard time. You seem to be getting it really well."  
  
"I dunno, it seems more understandable when you explain it."  
  
"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then."  
  
Liz picked up her backpack and headed for the door.  
  
"Liz, wait."  
  
The moment Liz turned around, Nicholas had kissed her. She was stunned, but after a few moments, she let her guard down and relaxed. When Nicholas pulled away, Liz was unconscious.  
  
"You can come out of the closet now."  
  
A young man about the age of twenty came out of the supply closet and quickly picked Liz up and carried her.  
  
"I bet she didn't see that coming." Nicholas thought to himself, smiling slightly.  
  


* * *

"She's not coming Maria."  
  
Maria nodded. Kyle was right. This wasn't some alien attack. Liz just wasn't ready yet. She shouldn't have pushed.  
  
"Maria, she'll probably call us up and apologize, either that or she'll do it at school."  
  
"You're right Alex."  
  
"Come on, let's go do something else."  
  
Alex had seen the look of disappointment on Maria's face. There was nothing any of them could do about Liz. She seemed to grow more distant everyday. It hurt to know that. It hurt Maria. It hurt Max. It hurt himself. But somewhere in his head, he knew that she had the right to, that maybe she had had the last straw. Maybe this time, there wasn't anything left to do but just let her go. 


	5. Revelations

Chapter V: Revelations  
  
Her head ached. Liz tried to remember what had happened. She sat up in the bed, a bed that wasn't hers but one she had ended up in.  
  
"I think it would be better if you lay down."  
  
Liz looked to the direction of the voice.   
  
"Nicholas" she thought to herself.  
  
"Where am I?"   
  
She looked around cautiously.  
  
"I can't answer that."  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
Avoiding the question, Nicholas paced in front of her, eyeing her.  
  
"Zan has good taste in women."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't pretend that you don't know."  
  
"You're a skin."  
  
The statement seemed more like a question.  
  
"Smart too."  
  
"What do you want with me?"  
  
At this, Nicholas smiled.  
  
"But just as clueless too."  
  
He stopped briefly and then circled her.  
  
"You don't remember do you? About Zan."  
  
"Oh… but what does that have to do with me?"  
  
Liz tried to avoid the memories of that night. It still haunted her.  
  
"Oh no… Not that. Maybe it's time for a little history lesson."  
  
Nicholas stopped and raised his hand to the bare wall of the room. A bright light emitted from his hand, sort of like the projectors in a movie theater.  
  
A picture of Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess came up.  
  
_"The royal four, or so thought to be. The great ruler of Antar (a picture of Max is flashed), his queen (a picture of Tess), the princess (a picture of Isabel) and the second in command (a picture of Michael). You know their history, their destiny; but it's time for you to know the truth, the way things really were. The history erased to non-existence."_  
  
The wall now showed something somewhat like a movie, a movie where Nicholas was the narrator.  
  
_"As most stories, this story is about a girl. How one girl changed the lives of ten royals and their people; but I'm getting ahead of myself. You see, Zan, Vilandra, Rath and Khivar were all friends, very close friends…"_  
  
Liz grimaces slightly.  
  
_"… Zan's father had made an alliance with earth to help in the war. In order to do this, he had to betroth his son with, well… a human of royal blood.  
  
That day though, Zan and the others had disobeyed his father's instructions not to leave the ship. Eventually they got lost in the woods, but were lucky enough when they came across a group of children their age by accident. Zan had stopped in his tracks as he saw them, causing Rath to roll down the hill that they were on and twisting his ankle; but as Rath fell, he grabbed Zan's ankle, causing him to follow suit.   
  
"Are you alright?"   
  
One of the two girls had asked Zan as she helped him up, but Zan didn't answer. Zan couldn't answer. She was so beautiful that he couldn't say a word. The girl repeated her question but he didn't hear it, but he did catch the comment her friend made.  
  
"He probably hit his head harder than he thought."  
  
The other girl had helped Rath up, even if he had tried to refuse it. He didn't need any girl's help.  
  
"Zan, are you alright?"  
  
Vilandra and Khivar had run down the hill as fast and carefully as possible to avoid further injuries.  
  
"I'm fine… but I think Rath sprained his ankle."  
  
Zan looked to Rath who was now sitting on a rock a few feet away from him, arguing with the girl who had helped him.  
  
"Zan… that's a strange name."  
  
Zan looked at the girl and studied her. He asked himself whether this could be love. He wanted her to be the one who he married. If he could pick whom he wanted, it would be her and yet, it seemed that it was impossible. Then he finally spoke.  
  
"I'm a visitor. As is my sister and our friends. But what pray tell, is your name?"  
  
"Elizabeth, and these are my friends Alexander and Mary."  
  
"This is my sister, Vilandra and our friends, Rath and Khivar."  
  
They stayed for a while, talking and playing. They had forgotten about their previous engagement. Zan had to meet with one of his suitors. Even if he didn't want to leave, he had to. They said their goodbyes to their new friends and quickly left. And when Elizabeth had asked him whether she'd see him again, he acted as if he couldn't hear her.  
  
They rushed to the ship at once. Zan healed Rath once they were far enough from the prying eyes of humans. But when they arrived, they had been found out and received a scolding from the king himself, even more so because not only had they arrived late, but covered in mud and what not. They were sent to clean up at once and were told that they would meet the princess later at dinner.   
He couldn't think. He couldn't concentrate. As he walked through the gardens, the beauty of the flowers reminded him of Elizabeth. In a few hours, he'd meet whoever he was to marry and then it would be the end of all hope. Everything would be over. He might as well get over it then.  
  
He saw a girl in her light blue dress, one he had not seen in the palace before, the princess no doubt. He fought himself and picked a flower as he walked up to her.   
  
"A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady."  
  
He said as he held the flower out for her take it even though her back was to him.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
She said this as she turned around slowly.  
  
"Elizabeth?"  
  
Zan looked at her and couldn't believe his eyes. It was her!  
  
"Zan?"  
  
"What… what are you doing here?"  
  
She took the flower from him and smelled its sweetness before replying.  
  
"Coming to meet the prince. To give away my life to a total stranger. What are you doing here?"  
  
Zan smiled slightly.  
  
"To see you."  
  
Elizabeth gave him a disbelieving look.  
  
"You… You're… You're the prince?"  
  
Zan nodded, smiling wider.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything?"  
  
He asked the same thing in reply.  
  
"You left in such a hurry and… and I've always wanted to be normal, I've always tried to deny who I am. And… well… there."_  
  
Nicholas stopped for a second and glances at Liz. Her emotions were unclear and her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. It was nearly time to finish it.  
  
_"This had all happened while I was a mere child, about nine or ten. I was ignorant to my surroundings and did not know which side was which, but six years later things had changed. Friendships and alliances were broken. All caused by a misunderstood accident.  
  
You see jealousy overtook some and caused quite a kerfuffle. The day that Khivar himself betrayed Zan's trust over a girl, over Elizabeth, affected the futures of most. Zan was enraged. He used his powers to attack Khivar but he reflected it with his own, hitting his own brother, me. I nearly died. They attached me to machines, different in variety but without one, I would die. Everyday, Khivar would come and say that he would avenge my sacrifice, my accident and that they'd find a way to help me. I could hear him, but I held nothing against Zan. Our side of the alliance had broken furtively. He was a wolf in sheep's clothing and he used Vilandra, swaying her this way and that, but he was soon found out and exiled.  
  
Although to his luck, things changed between the Antarians and the humans, an argument that had gotten out of hand. Its motives are now and will forever be unknown. The marriage of Zan and Elizabeth was broken and the rest were forced to be ended, Rath and Mary's and Vilandra's and Alexander's; and so, Zan was betrothed to Ava and Vilandra to Rath. That is the real history."_  
  
Nicholas ended the movie and looked at Liz.  
  
"If you have any questions, you may ask."  
  
Liz didn't know what to think. Everything was just settling in.  
  
"Did… Did they have children? I mean, the Antarians and the humans."  
  
Nicholas studied her, grimacing. He was nothing like his brother. He didn't enjoy the merciless killing and as a secret to most, he never held Zan responsible, though he did not know why.  
  
"Yes, but they were soon found and killed after the royal massacre."  
  
Liz felt sick. They had murdered innocent children, her children.  
  
"What happened to you? Obviously they found a way, to… to heal you."  
  
"Zan helped create his own enemies. I was the first of the skins, but I was flawed."  
  
"Flawed how?"  
  
Nicholas felt anger burning in his chest. How much didn't she know? He hated to live like this. It was not fair. Most would probably love to be in his place, but to him it was torture.   
  
"Do you know what it feels like to be sixteen forever! It wasn't supposed to be this way."  
  
Liz was taken back, he seemed pretty much calm before he blew out at her. She obviously had struck a nerve; but he still hadn't explained why he had taken her.  
  
"What does this have to do with me? What do you want with me? If Zan and Elizabeth hadn't ended up together, what do you need me for?"  
  
"Oh, but you see. They did in the end. Just before the royal massacre. Elizabeth came back and told Zan to keep the battling forces off of earth since they were on neither side. She said it quite angrily too, but you see true love never dies. As annoying as it is, seeing her just made him fall in love with her again even though he was already remarried… Things happened that just ensured their own deaths."  
  
"You still haven't answered my question. What do you need me here for?"  
  
Nicholas smiled. It was time to finally give her what she wanted. In all her frustration, pain and other emotions, this would truly hit her harder. He answered her slowly.  
  
"I need the heir to the throne."  
  
"What?"  
  
Nicholas repeated his statement.  
  
"I know. I heard you. I meant… What? How?"  
  
"Liz, did you really think that Zan would do something like that to you? He was under my own control. It was easy, especially because his feelings towards you produced more… successful results."  
  
This time he was referring to what had happened just two weeks before.  
  
Liz stared at him. It was all his doing, all his fault. Couldn't he have done it in another way?  
  
"Yes, you see. I plan on returning to Antar and claiming the throne myself. There is no point in running or trying to escape. There are many of us out there to recapture you for me. You are, after all, in our… shall we say… headquarters."  
  
Liz was pregnant with Max's child. It seemed so impossible. I just couldn't be happening. Not only was she pregnant with Max's child, but she was also being held hostage so that the aforementioned child could be taken away. This was all too much. Why was this happening to her?  
  
"And what if I won't let you take my child?"  
  
"You have three choices here Liz. One, give us your son and you can return to Roswell like nothing happened (you keeping your mouth shut of course). Two, you come with us back to Antar with your son after he is born and become my queen. Three, we take your son and kill you or you try to escape with him and we kill you."  
  
He said all of this while counting off of his fingers.  
  
"How do you know that I'm having a son?"  
  
He didn't answer.  
  
"They will realize that I'm missing and try to find me."  
  
"We already have that covered."  
  
Nicholas snapped his fingers and two of his men came in with a girl that looked exactly like Liz.  
  
Liz's eyes widened.  
  
"They won't know the difference. And if you choose your first option, no one will be the wiser. You can resume the life she lived for you. You have a choice in what college to go to, what course to take up, who to date, everything."  
  
"They'll never fall for it."  
  
Liz said this only half believing it and Nicholas' reply only confirmed that he had seen her lack of confidence.  
  
"Just you wait and see." 


	6. Gone

Chapter 6: Gone  
  
It was the last class of their longest day in school. The dismissal schedule wasn't exactly even. Mondays were unusually longer. Students filed into the now crowded classroom for an integrated homeroom class. Maria didn't know what the other class was anyway. She, Michael, Alex, Isabel, Kyle, Tess and Max were sitting near the corner of the room as the guidance counselor droned on about their futures and other things; but Maria wasn't listening.  
  
There was a knock on the door and everyone looked up to see who it is. The principal's secretary called for their guidance counselor, whispered something in her ear and handed her a list.  
  
"Would the following please go with Ms. Jameson, someone would like to speak with you… De Luca, Maria. Evans, Isabel. Evans, Maxwell. Guerin, Michael. Harding, Tess. Valenti Kyle. And…. Whitman, Alexander."  
  
The seven quickly stood up and left the room, glancing at each other worriedly every now and then.  
  
The hallways were empty as everyone was in class and their footsteps echoed with their whispering. They stopped in front of an empty classroom.  
  
"You will each go in one by one by alphabetical order."  
  
After all that was needed was said, Ms. Jameson left and Maria went in.  
  


* * *

  
"Maria."  
  
Maria looked up to see who had spoken.  
  
"Sheriff?"  
  
"Please, have a seat."  
  
She took a seat in one of the seven empty chairs and waited.  
  
"Maria, I'm going to be straight with you and ask this. Have you seen Liz this weekend?"  
  
Her eyebrows furrowed as she grimaced. The truth was, she hadn't since lunch last Friday.  
  
"No… Sheriff, what's this about?"  
  
"Well, apparently she didn't come home three nights ago. She didn't leave note or inform her parents where she was going. We both know Liz wouldn't do anything without saying anything unless she's with one of you."  
  
"None of us have seen her. Alex and I were going to watch a movie with her Friday night and she missed it."  
  
Sheriff Valenti's frown deepened.  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
He took a deep breathe and started hesitantly.  
  
"Maria, Liz is missing."  
  
She swallowed even though her mouth had suddenly become dry.  
  
"Well, it can be filed as a missing person, but things have been pretty quiet lately about you know what and I thought to give you guys a heads up."  
  
"I think you should tell us all together. We might handle it better."  
  
He gave a nod and asked Maria to get the others.  
  
As they came in, the silence was deafening. Alex attempted to lighten the mood but received a look from cold look from Isabel.  
  
"There isn't much way to say this…"  
  
The Sheriff looked at them one by one.  
  
"Okay… Liz is missing, apparently since Friday."  
  
Max's head snapped up from his downcast look. He then spoke longer than he had lately.  
  
"What do you mean by Liz is missing?"  
  
"Max, we all know Liz. Not to jump to conclusions or anything, but it has been a little too quite ever since Nasedo was killed."  
  
The Sheriff glanced around the room of shocked teenagers.   
  
"If this is alien-related then I'm not sure if we'll be able to find her."  
  
Max swallowed the temptation of bursting out and answered calmly.  
  
"We'll find her, even if my life depended on it."  
  
"Look, her parents are letting me check her room for clues and I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for. I need you, Maria and Alex to help me."  
  
"I'll help."  
  
Everyone glanced in the direction of Michael.   
  
"She's my friend too. Plus, I was the one who took her journal last year."  
  
Looks of disbelief spread across the room.  
  
"You did what?!?"  
  
Maria asked, remembering that specific time when Liz told her frantically that the mentioned journal missing.  
  
"Talk about that later, we have to find Liz."  
  
  
(Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get it up here. I had it made then I realized that the folder for this story was missing. I concluded that I deleted and I was going to rewrite it (which i was in the middle of) then i saw that it was just misplaced into another folder.  
Also, I can't figure out if I should make Tess good or evil. What do you think?) 


	7. The Search

Chapter 7: The Search  
  
Books were piled carelessly on the floor. Max, Michael, Maria, Alex and the Sheriff were searching for anything that could tip them on Liz's whereabouts. Michael quickly checked Liz's journal's last hiding place, but there was nothing there.  
  
"At least she followed my advice."  
  
Time dragged on as they searched on. Mr. Parker had already come and served them a couple of burgers from the Crashdown, but none had time to eat it. They were left untouched on Liz's desk.  
  
Every once in a while they would come across something that caught their attention, a picture stuffed in a sock drawer, or some unfinished homework that still seemed to deserve an A to some extent.  
  
Michael leaned against the wall next to the desk and grabbed his burger. He needed a break. "I deserve a break" he thought to himself.  
  
After a few minutes, Michael said what everyone refused to say. It was time that they accepted it.  
  
"This is useless!"  
  
Max knew he was right. He didn't want to admit it, but he was right. He responded weakly.  
  
"We'll find something."  
  
Silence crept over them. Alex sat down next to Maria on Liz's bed and looked to the ground. Michael, still leaning against the desk, was silently chewing his burger. The sheriff sat on a chair near the desk while Max sat on the floor, head buried into his knees.  
  
"What are we going to do now? We've searched every inch of this place."  
  
Michael tossed the wrapper of his burger into the waste basket. He walked to the other side of the room as he spoke.  
  
"If we find her journal, everything will be explained. She writes everything in that thing."  
  
Maria stared helplessly to the ground as she spoke. She leaned against the brick wall and noticed a brick protruding slightly against her back. She turned and slowly removed the brick from its place and reached inside as the others looked on. She withdrew her hand from the hole in the wall and revealed a thick, black, leather-bound journal.  
  
"What are you waiting for? Open it."  
  
Michael's edginess found its release.  
  
"Maybe she should be the only one to see it."  
  
Alex spoke as he lifted himself from the bed.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Michael asked curtly.  
  
"There's a lot of personal things in there. It wouldn't be right to have it revealed to all of us."  
  
Alex replied, patience straining.  
  
There wasn't anything left to say. He had a point; and as they stood in silence, the door swung open. No one said anything. No one moved.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" 


	8. Replacement

Chapter 8:  
  
As Liz came in, Max noticed that the grim and depressed emotions that she was giving off for the past two weeks were gone. In its place was something completely different. Was it anger? Or was it something else? It was as if it was a different person.  
  
"I asked you what you're doing here."  
  
She repeated with less patience.  
  
"You were missing. We were looking for you."  
  
Max snapped out of his guilty phase.  
  
"You were looking for me. What? Were you looking for me in my bookshelf or something?"  
  
She stepped closer to him and studied the pile of books on the floor.  
  
Michael stepped in.  
  
"We thought it was alien related."  
  
She rolled her eyes and replied.  
  
"Not everything in my life revolves around you."  
  
She looked at Max in particular as she said this. A thought came across her mind. A chance she wanted to take.  
  
"I was with Nicholas."  
  
Both Maria and Alex raised their eyebrows to her reply. Max on the other hand found it quite hard to keep his face straight; and not being able to take it anymore.  
  
"I'm sorry. We'll leave." 


	9. First Encounters

Chapter 9: First Encounters  
  
Outside of town, far off into the desert, Liz was being kept in a warehouse being used as the skins' hideout.  
  
"It's about time you got up."  
  
The voice rang into her head as she stirred from her surprisingly peaceful sleep. She couldn't distinguish whose it was, but it wasn't Nicholas'.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You've slept most of the morning away."  
  
Liz looked up from her sheets to see a man with dark wild hair and a serious expression written all over his face. In a way, he seemed vaguely familiar.  
  
"Umm… who are you?"  
  
She straightened herself up in the bed, leaning against the headboard, sleepiness still evident.  
  
"My name's Travis."  
  
He said as he stood up from the chair across the room and leaned against the wall.  
  
"I'm guessing you're a skin then."  
  
She stated, unconsciously shaking the sleepiness from her head.  
  
"Not quite. I'm Antarian."  
  
"Aren't the skins, like… a… type of Antarian?"  
  
Travis retook his seat and looked at the floor. He didn't know how to explain.  
  
"In a way, yes… but it's more complicated than that. On Antar, there are many… races. There are shape-shifters, mentalists, etcetera, etcetera, and there are the skins. 'Antarian' is a collective name for everyone else who is not a skin. You are aware that the skins are… infamous for their reputation with Khivar. To call them Antarian would be a disgrace."  
  
He looked up to see if she got what he was trying to say. Truthfully, he wasn't quite sure if he understood what he said. He knew what it meant, but he never had to explain it. Obviously she didn't get him all too well.  
  
"Uh… the skins were stripped of their right to be called Antarian when they sided with Khivar."  
  
This time Liz got it.  
  
"Oh… but haven't you lost your right to call yourself Antarian, especially after helping the skins? Wouldn't that make you a traitor?"  
  
At this, Travis quickly rose to his feet.  
  
"Look… I don't lose my skin, okay. Becoming a skin was an escape for Khivar and his men from death. It's the closest that any of them will get to becoming immortal. They will never die of sickness or old age. I have not chosen their lifestyle and that gives me one less reason to be a skin. I may work with them, but my job is to protect the queen and the royal heir; and I sure as hell will do my job even though it I may be called a 'traitor'"  
  
He took a deep breathe and quickly apologized for his outburst.  
  
"No, I should be the one who's sorry."  
  
Liz paused and thought for another moment. She then stated, "Tess is your queen, not me. She is Ava."  
  
Travis gave a short sigh of disbelief.  
  
"I thought Nicholas already explained this to you."  
  
"What happened in another lifetime has little significance to our situation now."  
  
Liz found herself getting slightly annoyed, or maybe it was because of off-balanced hormones.  
  
"Max chose you, not Ava. You are carrying his child to prove it; and even though Nicholas has a role to partake in this situation, he would not have succeeded if Max didn't feel the way he did for you."  
  
Travis moved to the end of the bed and took a seat as Liz closed her eyes trying to not let his words penetrate the emotional wall she had put up ever since that night.  
  
"Max? Why do you call him Max instead of Zan?"  
  
"That's his name now. He has a new life now. Some parts of it may resemble his last, but it is completely different. He has the chance to do things differently."  
  
"How does someone who has never interacted with Max before end up to be so loyal?"  
  
A/N: So I'm back with from a long overdue hiatus. I know this isn't really much of a chap, but I think I just hit a dead end… I actually wrote this months ago and I kept putting off uploading it. I am so sorry. I promise to be quicker next time, but I have to figure out how to fill the space between this chap and another one I wrote. Oh well… please review. 


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